View across to Alem Entertainment Centre which houses an enclosed ferris wheel!

The Alem Entertainment Centre houses an enclosed ferris wheel

View from the Alem Entertainment Centre across to the centre of Ashgabat

Monument to the Independence of Turkmenistan, also known as the ‘plunger’

Back out on the boulevards of Ashgabat

Yes, this building is topped with a huge globe!!

The Arch of Neutrality once the centre piece of Niyazov’s Ashgabat and topped with a 12m gold statue of Niyazov which revolved to follow the sun throughout the day is now on the outskirts of the capital.

Local schoolgirls in Independence Square for Independence Day practice